1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for simplifying two-dimensional shapes and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image processing apparatuses that simplify a two-dimensional shape including a plurality of line elements are conventionally known. For example, in order to shorten the time for analyzing three-dimensional CAD data, a technique is known in which two-dimensional shapes are extracted from three-dimensional CAD data, which are then simplified and analyzed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. S62-72071 (Document 1)). Furthermore, there is also a technique that simplifies two-dimensional shapes and then transforms them into three-dimensional form for the purpose of simplifying three-dimensional CAD data (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H10-312473 (Document 2)).
However, the conventional techniques impose an excessive burden on the users when simplifying the two-dimensional shapes. Also, according to the conventional techniques, the simplification is achieved only to the extent that very small curvatures can be ignored, so the simplification was not sufficient.